The Washington Court of Appeals upheld a $21 million jury award for Dr. Benjamin Danielson in his racial discrimination lawsuit against Seattle Children’s Hospital.
SEATTLE — The Washington Court of Appeals has unanimously upheld a $21 million jury award in favor of a doctor who filed a lawsuit against Seattle Children’s Hospital for racial discrimination.
Dr. Benjamin Danielson, the former medical director of the Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic, led the clinic for 21 years, serving a largely Black and low-income community. He alleged he was subjected to a racially hostile work environment and faced retaliation after raising concerns about inequitable treatment of patients.
A jury found the hospital liable and awarded Danielson $21 million in damages in 2024. The appeals court affirmed that verdict Tuesday.
Danielson resigned from the Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic in 2020, citing racism within the organization. Following his departure, he publicly accused the hospital of discriminatory practices and said it failed to adequately address racism during his two decades as medical director.
In an interview with KING 5 following his resignation in 2021, Danielson alleged the hospital engaged in racist behavior.
Among his concerns were alleged disparities in patient care, the hospital’s use of security personnel involving Black families, inadequate language services for non-English-speaking patients and the handling of a racial slur incident involving a colleague. An independent review later substantiated many of Danielson’s allegations, including findings that the 2009 racial slur complaint was not properly investigated.
In a statement following the appeals court decision, attorney Jennifer Bennett of Gupta Wessler LLP, who represented Danielson before the court, said: “For 21 years, Dr. Danielson faced and witnessed discrimination at Seattle Children’s Hospital and was retaliated against for speaking up about it. Today, the Court of Appeals affirmed what a jury of his peers already decided: the hospital must be held accountable.”
A Seattle Children’s spokesperson said in a statement, “We are deeply disappointed by the court’s decision but respect the judicial process. Seattle Children’s will continue to remain fully focused on providing high-quality, compassionate and equitable care for the children and families relying on us. We thank Dr. Danielson for his years of service to the Seattle Children’s community.”
Following the original jury verdict, Seattle Children’s said it was disappointed with the outcome. The hospital said its priority is providing equitable, high-quality care to all children and supporting the mission of the Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic.
Danielson now works and teaches at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
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